Things to Do in London
Markets, river walks, museums that cost nothing
London's days out cluster in a handful of walkable districts. Borough Market and Bankside sit on the south side of the river, Camden Town runs along the canal, South Kensington holds the museum quarter, and Greenwich and Stratford anchor the east. Most of the national museums charge nothing for their permanent collections.
Start at a market
Borough Market has traded on or near its site for around a thousand years and is still the best introduction to the city's food. Camden Market is bigger, scruffier and canal side, with roughly a thousand independent traders. Weekends are busy, so go early.
What does London do best?
Free admission. The great national museums and galleries ask nothing for their permanent collections, which is why footfall holds up all year and in all weather. Save the budget for the river, the theatre and lunch.
Arriving and getting about
Most visitors land at Heathrow or arrive by train at St Pancras, King's Cross, Waterloo or Victoria, all of which sit within a short hop of the centre. The Thames is the easiest way to read the map. Greenwich rewards the boat rather than the tube.
Things to Do in London
Borough Market
Market and visitor destination
London's best known food market, trading on or near the site for around 1,000 years. Next to Southwark Cathedral and London Bridge station.
8 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1TL
Business Design Centre
Exhibition and conference centre
Independent venue in the Grade II listed former Royal Agricultural Hall, around 6,000 square metres of exhibition space.
52 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 0QH
Camden Market
Market and visitor destination
Around 1,000 independent traders across the Lock, Stables and Hawley Wharf sites beside Regent's Canal. Four minutes walk from Camden Town tube.
54-56 Camden Lock Place, Camden Town, London, NW1 8AF
City of London Information Centre
Tourist information centre
Described as the only officially recognised tourist information centre in central London. Multilingual team, free City trail maps and self-guided walk leaflets. Nearest tube St Paul's.
St Paul's Churchyard, City of London, London, EC4M 8BX
ExCeL London
Exhibition and convention centre
100 acre site on the northern quay of the Royal Victoria Dock, opened November 2000, with the ICC London conference centre added in 2010. Three on-site DLR stations and around 3,700 parking spaces.
Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London, E16 1XL
Greenwich Tourist Information Centre
Tourist information centre
Run by Visit Greenwich beside the Cutty Sark, serving the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.
Pepys House, 2 Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich, London, SE10 9LW
Heathrow Airport
Airport
The UK's busiest airport. Each terminal has its own postcode, TW6 1EW for Terminal 2, TW6 1QG for Terminal 3, TW6 3XA for Terminal 4 and TW6 2GA for Terminal 5. Served by the Piccadilly line, Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express.
Heathrow Airport, Longford, Hounslow, TW6 1EW
Hilton London Metropole
Large hotel and conference hotel
Around 1,100 rooms with extensive conference facilities, a short walk from Paddington and Marble Arch. One of the largest hotels in Europe.
225 Edgware Road, London, W2 1JU
Imperial College London, South Kensington
University campus
Science, engineering, medicine and business campus at the centre of the Albertopolis museum quarter.
Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2AZ
King's College London, Strand Campus
University campus
Founded 1829, one of five London campuses, next to Somerset House and Waterloo Bridge.
Strand, London, WC2R 2LS
London City Airport
Airport
The only airport inside Greater London, serving the financial districts, with its own DLR station and short take off and landing operations.
Hartmann Road, Silvertown, London, E16 2PX
London King's Cross
Rail station
Opened 1852 by the Great Northern Railway, East Coast Main Line terminus. Adjoins St Pancras above King's Cross St Pancras Underground station, one of the busiest interchanges in the country.
Euston Road, London, N1 9AL
London Liverpool Street
Rail station
Gateway to East Anglia and the Stansted Express, and a main Elizabeth line station serving the City. Among the busiest UK stations.
Liverpool Street, City of London, London, EC2M 7PY
London Paddington
Rail station
Brunel's Great Western terminus, now also an Elizabeth line station and the London end of the Heathrow Express.
Praed Street, London, W2 1HQ
London St Pancras International
Rail station and international terminal
UK terminus for Eurostar services to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, plus East Midlands, Thameslink and Southeastern high speed services. Grade I listed Barlow train shed.
Euston Road, London, N1C 4QP
London Stansted Airport
Airport
Major low cost carrier base serving London, around 40 miles north east of the city, linked by the Stansted Express from Liverpool Street.
Bassingbourn Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, CM24 1QW
London Victoria station
Rail station
Terminus for Southern, Southeastern and the Gatwick Express, adjoining the Victoria theatre district.
Terminus Place, Victoria Street, London, SW1V 1JU
London Waterloo
Rail station
Britain's busiest railway station by passenger entries and exits, serving South Western Railway routes. Walking distance to the South Bank.
Waterloo Road, Lambeth, London, SE1 8SW
Olympia London
Exhibition and convention centre
Grade II* listed exhibition halls at the centre of a 1.3 billion pound regeneration. New venues opening through 2026 include the 3,800 capacity British Airways ARC from 16 June 2026, a 1,575 seat Olympia Theatre, and the Hyatt Regency London Olympia from 6 July 2026. Parts of the estate remain a live construction site into 2027.
Hammersmith Road, Kensington, London, W14 8UX
Park Plaza London Westminster Bridge
Large hotel
1,019 rooms plus 63 suites, described as the largest purpose-built hotel in London. Opposite the Houses of Parliament at the end of Westminster Bridge.
200 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7UT
QEII Centre
Conference centre
The largest dedicated conference, events and exhibition space in central London. 32 event spaces over seven floors, capacity from two to 2,500 delegates. Opposite Westminster Abbey.
Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, London, SW1P 3EE
Royal Lancaster London
Large hotel
411 rooms over 18 floors overlooking Hyde Park, opened 1967, with large banqueting suites used for conferences and awards.
Lancaster Terrace, Bayswater, London, W2 2TY
University College London
University campus
Main Bloomsbury campus with around 50,000 students, next to the British Museum and Euston Road stations. Home of the free Grant Museum of Zoology and Petrie Museum.
Gower Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1E 6BT
Victoria Coach Station
Coach station
The largest coach station in London and the main terminus for long distance UK and European coach services, in its original 1932 art deco building.
164 Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria, London, SW1W 9TP
Westfield London
Shopping centre
West London's largest shopping centre, extended in 2018 to around 2.6 million square feet. Served by Shepherd's Bush and White City stations. Some listings give the nearby W12 7SL, so confirm the exact unit postcode before print.
Ariel Way, Shepherd's Bush, London, W12 7GF
Westfield Stratford City
Shopping centre
One of the largest urban shopping centres in Europe, around 250 shops and 80 places to eat, adjoining Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Stratford station.
Montfichet Road, Olympic Park, Stratford, London, E20 1EJ
London, asked.
What can you do in London for free?
A great deal. The Natural History Museum, British Museum, Tate Modern and National Gallery are all free to enter for their permanent collections. Sky Garden is free as well, although you need a timed ticket booked in advance. Walking Borough Market or the South Bank costs nothing at all.
What should I see if I only have one day?
Pick one side of the river. South of it, Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe, Borough Market and the South Bank link up on foot in a morning. North of it, the British Museum, Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square sit within the same twenty minutes of walking.
How do people promote a show in London?
Largely in print, because visitors decide late. Printed what's on guides, leaflets stacked in venue foyers, hotel lobbies and tourist information centres, and posters near the theatres themselves all reach people who are already out and choosing. Listings sites and social media then confirm what they have already seen.